That the Parliament recognises that Celebrate Aberdeen will take place on the weekend of 22-23 August 2015 to highlight all that is good about the city; understands that events will include the Union Street mile race organised by SportAberdeen, the Celebrate Aberdeen parade, a procession of the city’s charities, social enterprises and volunteer organisations, a church service at St Mark’s and various music, entertainment and sporting events in Union Terrace Gardens and other venues in the city; believes that, since its inception in 2011, the event has helped bring Aberdonians together to celebrate their city and its people; wishes Celebrate Aberdeen’s organisers, its sponsors and all participants all the very best for this year’s celebration, and hopes that the event will continue to thrive in the years to come.

That the Parliament recognises that Celebrate Aberdeen will take place on the weekend of 22-23 August 2015 to highlight all that is good about the city; understands that events will include the Union Street mile race organised by SportAberdeen, the Celebrate Aberdeen parade, a procession of the city’s charities, social enterprises and volunteer organisations, a church service at St Mark’s and various music, entertainment and sporting events in Union Terrace Gardens and other venues in the city; believes that, since its inception in 2011, the event has helped bring Aberdonians together to celebrate their city and its people; wishes Celebrate Aberdeen’s organisers, its sponsors and all participants all the very best for this year’s celebration, and hopes that the event will continue to thrive in the years to come.

That the Parliament recognises that 28 July 2015 is World Hepatitis Day; understands that 4,000 people in the world die every day from viral hepatitis and that nearly 40,000 people in Scotland are infected with the hepatitis C virus, which can cause fatal liver damage and cancer if left untreated; considers that successive Scottish governments of various political hues have worked hard to improve detection and treatment of hepatitis C and that Scotland is hailed as a world leader in this field, and hopes that one day soon will see the eradication of hepatitis C in Scotland and globally.

That the Parliament recognises that 28 July 2015 is World Hepatitis Day; understands that 4,000 people in the world die every day from viral hepatitis and that nearly 40,000 people in Scotland are infected with the hepatitis C virus, which can cause fatal liver damage and cancer if left untreated; considers that successive Scottish governments of various political hues have worked hard to improve detection and treatment of hepatitis C and that Scotland is hailed as a world leader in this field, and hopes that one day soon will see the eradication of hepatitis C in Scotland and globally.

That the Parliament commends everyone at Duthie Park in Aberdeen on it being presented with a Green Flag award by Keep Scotland Beautiful; considers these awards prestigious and understands that they recognise the hard work of people who aim to make Scotland greener and cleaner; congratulates all of the Aberdeen City Council staff who work at the park and the volunteer organisation, the Friends of Duthie Park, on what it sees as their efforts to ensure that it remains a jewel in Aberdeen’s crown; believes the park to be a wonderful space, and hopes that it will continue to be appreciated by Aberdonians and visitors to the Granite City.

That the Parliament commends everyone at Duthie Park in Aberdeen on it being presented with a Green Flag award by Keep Scotland Beautiful; considers these awards prestigious and understands that they recognise the hard work of people who aim to make Scotland greener and cleaner; congratulates all of the Aberdeen City Council staff who work at the park and the volunteer organisation, the Friends of Duthie Park, on what it sees as their efforts to ensure that it remains a jewel in Aberdeen’s crown; believes the park to be a wonderful space, and hopes that it will continue to be appreciated by Aberdonians and visitors to the Granite City.

That the Parliament congratulates the Aberdeen-based North East Sensory Services (NESS) on winning what it considers two prestigious awards; notes that it was presented with the Elevator Alick Buchanan-Smith Enterprising Communities Award just a week after winning the Trend Life with Style Community Award; understands that the Alick Buchanan-Smith award, which is organised by the social enterprise, Elevator, and sponsored by RBS Ahead for Business, aims to recognise the achievements of organisations that operate solely for the benefit of their community and that the Trend award highlighted NESS's contribution to and outstanding support for people of all ages with a visual or hearing impairment; recognises that NESS provides a combination of publicly-funded statutory joint sensory social work services in Aberdeen and Moray along with added-value services across Grampian, including its Young Person’s Sensory Service, a group for mothers and babies, PEEP, and Connect, Inform, Support, which provides activities and assistance for people aged 65 and older; understands that NESS provides advice, practical support, benefits advice and equipment to improve quality of life; commends its staff, volunteers and service users, and wishes them all the best in their future endeavours.

That the Parliament congratulates the Aberdeen-based North East Sensory Services (NESS) on winning what it considers two prestigious awards; notes that it was presented with the Elevator Alick Buchanan-Smith Enterprising Communities Award just a week after winning the Trend Life with Style Community Award; understands that the Alick Buchanan-Smith award, which is organised by the social enterprise, Elevator, and sponsored by RBS Ahead for Business, aims to recognise the achievements of organisations that operate solely for the benefit of their community and that the Trend award highlighted NESS's contribution to and outstanding support for people of all ages with a visual or hearing impairment; recognises that NESS provides a combination of publicly-funded statutory joint sensory social work services in Aberdeen and Moray along with added-value services across Grampian, including its Young Person’s Sensory Service, a group for mothers and babies, PEEP, and Connect, Inform, Support, which provides activities and assistance for people aged 65 and older; understands that NESS provides advice, practical support, benefits advice and equipment to improve quality of life; commends its staff, volunteers and service users, and wishes them all the best in their future endeavours.

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeen City Council School Catering Service on receiving a bronze standard Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association in recognition of its focus on removing harmful additives, trans fats and GM items from the menu and ensuring that the majority of food is prepared freshly on site and is seasonal, that meat is from farms that satisfy welfare standards, eggs are from cage-free hens and no fish is served that is on the Marine Conservation Society "fish to avoid" list; believes that this focus on healthy and seasonal food will improve long-term public health, and hopes that more companies and public bodies will follow this example of serving healthy and seasonal food.

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeen City Council School Catering Service on receiving a bronze standard Food for Life Catering Mark from the Soil Association in recognition of its focus on removing harmful additives, trans fats and GM items from the menu and ensuring that the majority of food is prepared freshly on site and is seasonal, that meat is from farms that satisfy welfare standards, eggs are from cage-free hens and no fish is served that is on the Marine Conservation Society "fish to avoid" list; believes that this focus on healthy and seasonal food will improve long-term public health, and hopes that more companies and public bodies will follow this example of serving healthy and seasonal food.

That the Parliament notes the comments by Paul Johnson of the Institute of Fiscal Studies about the recent UK Budget that “the changes overall are regressive – taking much more from poorer households than richer ones” and that “unequivocally, tax credit recipients in work will be made worse off by measures in the Budget”; believes that what the Chancellor called the national living wage is a smoke-and-mirrors confidence trick that is being used as a headline-grabber to hide the fact that he is drastically reducing tax credits and removing vital income support away from low-income families; understands that it is estimated that a lone parent with two children working 16 hours-a-week on the minimum wage would gain just over £400 from the national living wage, but would lose £860 from tax credit changes in 2016-17; believes that this is a regressive Budget that is an attack on the most vulnerable in society; considers that it will fleece the poor while featherbedding the very rich, and condemns the Conservative Chancellor for what it sees as him continuing to adhere to a regressive austerity agenda, which is making the rich richer and the poor poorer.

That the Parliament notes the comments by Paul Johnson of the Institute of Fiscal Studies about the recent UK Budget that “the changes overall are regressive – taking much more from poorer households than richer ones” and that “unequivocally, tax credit recipients in work will be made worse off by measures in the Budget”; believes that what the Chancellor called the national living wage is a smoke-and-mirrors confidence trick that is being used as a headline-grabber to hide the fact that he is drastically reducing tax credits and removing vital income support away from low-income families; understands that it is estimated that a lone parent with two children working 16 hours-a-week on the minimum wage would gain just over £400 from the national living wage, but would lose £860 from tax credit changes in 2016-17; believes that this is a regressive Budget that is an attack on the most vulnerable in society; considers that it will fleece the poor while featherbedding the very rich, and condemns the Conservative Chancellor for what it sees as him continuing to adhere to a regressive austerity agenda, which is making the rich richer and the poor poorer.

That the Parliament notes that local authorities across Scotland are participating in the 2015 Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge, which encourages primary school children to visit a library at least three times over the summer holidays and read least six books; welcomes the news that Aberdeen City Council is holding a Pledge Day on 11 July, at which children will be encouraged to make a pledge to take up the challenge; notes that this year's theme is called Record Breakers and that an attempt will be made to set a world record for most reading pledges made; warmly welcomes this coinciding with what it considers the excellent Butterflies on the Move literary sculpture tour reaching Aberdeen, and supports the summer reading initiatives across Scotland, which encourage people to take advantage of excellent public libraries.

That the Parliament notes that local authorities across Scotland are participating in the 2015 Tesco Bank Summer Reading Challenge, which encourages primary school children to visit a library at least three times over the summer holidays and read least six books; welcomes the news that Aberdeen City Council is holding a Pledge Day on 11 July, at which children will be encouraged to make a pledge to take up the challenge; notes that this year's theme is called Record Breakers and that an attempt will be made to set a world record for most reading pledges made; warmly welcomes this coinciding with what it considers the excellent Butterflies on the Move literary sculpture tour reaching Aberdeen, and supports the summer reading initiatives across Scotland, which encourage people to take advantage of excellent public libraries.

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) on winning the Committed to Excellence Award at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence ceremony, which was organised by Quality Scotland; recognises what it sees as the efforts of the ACVO's splendid staff and volunteers, who do so much across the city, and wishes all at ACVO all the best in their future endeavours.

That the Parliament congratulates Aberdeen Council for Voluntary Organisations (ACVO) on winning the Committed to Excellence Award at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence ceremony, which was organised by Quality Scotland; recognises what it sees as the efforts of the ACVO's splendid staff and volunteers, who do so much across the city, and wishes all at ACVO all the best in their future endeavours.

That the Parliament congratulates North East Sensory Services (NESS) on being awarded £94,239 from the Bank of Scotland Foundation’s grants programme to assist with running costs for a young person's sensory service, for those with sight or hearing loss; recognises what it considers to be the outstanding work of NESS, and hopes that the young people involved will benefit greatly from this service.

That the Parliament congratulates North East Sensory Services (NESS) on being awarded £94,239 from the Bank of Scotland Foundation’s grants programme to assist with running costs for a young person's sensory service, for those with sight or hearing loss; recognises what it considers to be the outstanding work of NESS, and hopes that the young people involved will benefit greatly from this service.

That the Parliament condemns reports that the UK Government is planning new immigration laws that would see workers recruited from outside the EU who earn less than £35,000 per annum having to return to their country of origin after six years; considers that, if implemented, this proposal would have a catastrophic impact on public services, including the NHS; understands that, in the NHS alone, 30,000 nurses from overseas would be affected by this plan; agrees with the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing that this will cause NHS chaos, and calls on the UK Government to drop what it considers this ludicrous proposal.

That the Parliament condemns reports that the UK Government is planning new immigration laws that would see workers recruited from outside the EU who earn less than £35,000 per annum having to return to their country of origin after six years; considers that, if implemented, this proposal would have a catastrophic impact on public services, including the NHS; understands that, in the NHS alone, 30,000 nurses from overseas would be affected by this plan; agrees with the chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing that this will cause NHS chaos, and calls on the UK Government to drop what it considers this ludicrous proposal.

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Inclusion Scotland's research suggesting that disabled people are experiencing stress, fear and isolation because of welfare reform.

Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 04/06/2015

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to Inclusion Scotland's research suggesting that disabled people are experiencing stress, fear and isolation because of welfare reform.

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received communication from Aberdeen City Council regarding the A-listed buildings at Broadford Works in Aberdeen, which are believed to be under threat from fire-raising incidents.

Answered byFiona Hyslop
(02/06/2015):

Yes. Historic Scotland, who act on behalf of Scottish Ministers, have received communications from Aberdeen City Council in response to Historic Scotland’s request to be kept informed on the current situation and next steps. The Council is maintaining close contact with Historic Scotland as appropriate.

Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 02/06/2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received communication from Aberdeen City Council regarding the A-listed buildings at Broadford Works in Aberdeen, which are believed to be under threat from fire-raising incidents.

To ask the Scottish Government what action (a) it and (b) Historic Scotland can take to protect the A-listed buildings at Broadford Works in Aberdeen, which are believed to be under threat from fire-raising incidents.

Answered byFiona Hyslop
(02/06/2015):

Historic Scotland acts on behalf of Scottish Ministers and so represents the Scottish Government.

Historic Scotland has no formal role concerning fire prevention. These are matters for owners and local authorities to address, and this is also the case concerning Broadford Works, where we understand the owner and Aberdeen City Council are having active discussions on preventing further damage to the site.

Historic Scotland does provide online advice on fire prevention and they are always pleased to advise local authorities on the matter when asked.

Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 02/06/2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action (a) it and (b) Historic Scotland can take to protect the A-listed buildings at Broadford Works in Aberdeen, which are believed to be under threat from fire-raising incidents.

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to deal with the recent incidents of fire raising and vandalism that have taken place at Broadford Works, Aberdeen.

Answered byPaul Wheelhouse
(09/06/2015): This is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 09/06/2015

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has cost (a) Police Scotland and (b) the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to deal with the recent incidents of fire raising and vandalism that have taken place at Broadford Works, Aberdeen.